Mastic materials are used increasingly as sealants in product manufacturing facilities, particularly in automotive manufacturing. Typically the mastic material will be applied to a product (e.g. parts of a vehicle) as the product is moved through different stages in the manufacturing process, for example at different stations on a production line. When required to apply the mastic, an operator will simply reach for a mastic application gun, which is connected to an off-take on a mastic circuit that is supplied with the mastic at a high pressure. The high pressure is provided by a pump. Conventionally, the pumps used have been hydraulic or pneumatic positive displacement pumps.
However, because mastics are very thick and viscous, the capacity and pressure available from conventional pumps has meant that the circuits have to be short such that the mastic pumps and the reservoirs of the mastic materials being pumped have hitherto had to be located close to the stations where the off-takes are located. A further problem is that the fluids tend to thicken, and may even solidify if left stationary for too long a time, such as overnight or at a week-end when the plant is not being used. On large production lines, these problems have meant that a large number of mastic pumping circuits have been installed close to the points where the mastic is used, with a correspondingly large number of pumps and storage vessels (reservoirs).
Similar problems can arise with other high viscosity fluids, such as epoxy materials or other types of adhesive.
This invention has therefore been conceived to provide an improved high pressure fluid delivery system that overcomes or alleviates the foregoing problems.